DOJ indicts Napoles for illegal detention; arrest warrant out

MANILA, Philippines – An arrest warrant has been issued against Janet Lim-Napoles, the suspected mastermind of the P10 billion pork barrel scam, after being indicted for illegal detention.

The Department of Justice has indicted Napoles for allegedly kidnapping whistleblower Benhur Luy.

According to reports, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed that a case has been filed before a Makati Court against Napoles for the allegation last December.

Napoles’ brother, Reynaldo Lim, is also included in the case, which according to De Lima, has no option for bail.

Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation are reportedly on the way to arrest Napoles.

A few days ago, posters of Napoles and Lim have been distributed to all international airports to prevent the siblings from leaving the country.

The DOJ issued the "lookout" bulletin on the siblings as the government starts its investigation into the seven bogus non-government organizations allegedly controlled by Napoles as part of the pork barrel scam.

The Office of the Ombudsman has also started an investigation into the alleged misuse of P200 million public funds under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in 2007 and 2008, which is allegedly related to the pork barrel scam.

The scam was exposed by Benhur Luy, an employee of Napoles, who is now under the government’s witness protection.

Napoles has denied the allegation and accused Luy of attempting to extort P300 million from her.